Arsenic levels in Twin Falls drinking water still too high

TWIN FALLS, Idaho – Drinking water in this southern Idaho city continued to contain arsenic levels last year above what federal guidelines say is safe, according to a report.

The city’s annual Water Quality Report, released last week, says samples taken in 2006 found arsenic levels ranging from 1.4 to 18.1 parts per billion.

The level for safe drinking water set by the Environmental Protection Agency is 10 parts per billion. That standard – a sharp reduction from the 50 parts per billion previously allowed – was announced in 2001 and became effective in January 2006.

Some studies show arsenic in drinking water at levels greater than 10 parts per billion can increase rates of some cancers.

But Twin Falls has not been able to meet the new standard, and last year the city was given a five-year extension to Jan. 11, 2011, to reduce arsenic in drinking water.

“If the city is making what we consider meaningful progress toward meeting the standard, we’ll work with them to avoid fines,” Don Lee of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, told the Times-News.

Gretchen Scott, a management assistant with Twin Falls, said city officials have been looking at ways to reduce arsenic levels.

Attempts include diluting well water high in arsenic with purer water from Blue Lakes Spring, which supplies the city with about 60 percent of its drinking water and is relatively free of arsenic.

However, hydrologists say water from Blue Lakes Springs is continuing to decline while demand from the city increases, meaning the city will have to reduce demand or find new sources of water that are free of arsenic.

The city is trying to reduce how much drinking water residents use and is requiring all new subdivisions to get irrigation water from canals rather than from the city’s drinking water system.

Ordinances also restrict when residents can water lawns.

Lee said removing arsenic from drinking water can become expensive, but “we believe the public health of consumers is important and it’s a reasonable cost,” he told the Associated Press on Wednesday.